title: Analysis of T cell receptor beta chain CDR3 size using RNA extracted from formalin fixed paraffin wax embedded tissue.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To isolate RNA and DNA simultaneously from formalin fixed paraffin wax embedded tissue to assess the clonality of enteropathy associated T cell lymphomas and to analyse it in detail by a non-radioactive method of T cell receptor complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) spectratyping.
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA and RNA were isolated simultaneously from formalin fixed paraffin wax embedded tissue blocks and subjected to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semi-nested reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), respectively. The RT-PCR T cell receptor V beta products were analysed by CDR3 spectratyping using a denaturing polyacrylamide gel and silver staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Usable DNA and RNA were isolated simultaneously from formalin fixed paraffin wax embedded tissue. The specific clonality of the tissue was successfully analysed by a non-radioactive method of T cell receptor CDR3 spectratyping of the RT-PCR products. CDR3 spectratying of the RT-PCR products demonstrated the precise clonal nature of the tumour and non-tumour tissue showing that the non-tumour tissue comprised an oligoclonal population of a number of different T cell receptor V beta families. The tumour tissue comprised two T cell subtypes of the one family, T cell receptor V beta 9.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RNA and DNA were isolated from formalin fixed paraffin wax embedded enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma tissue. Detailed analysis of clonality can be carried out by a non-radioactive method of CDR3 spectratyping.
authors.affiliation: St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: O'Shea
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Wyatt
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Howdle
mesh_terms: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006801:Humans; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D017260:Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis*; D016622:Silver Staining
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D017260:Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell; D005557:Formaldehyde